What class pairs well with a fighter in 4e?

Question

We're getting ever closer to our 4e game and have begun to hash out backgrounds. Much like in Fire Emblem (yes I do pretty much decide all of what I want to do based on video games) I really want my character to work exceptionally well with one of the other PCs. Obviously I want to work well with all of them, but, since our backgrounds suggest that we have been spending time together I really want to be exceptional with another PC.

I know this PC is a greatsword using fighter dragonborn.

Irony! I'm playing a tiefling. Either, at this point, a psion or an ardent - I've only played strikers before so my ability to look at these two classes and figure out whether or not they're good at what they're supposed to do (controlling/leading) is remarkably and embarrassingly minimal.

Which class will allow us to work together by ourselves the best if we find ourselves in that situation? That is, which class will best compliment a greatsword fighter?

And if you're feeling altruistic: Our group consists of a bard who is actually trying to avoid healing powers, a monk or a striker, a druid based around being really fast, and the aforementioned characters.

Answer 1

Ardent

Given a choice between psion and Ardent, given that your other leader is avoiding healing (a fairly decent choice for bard, actually. They've got better things to do with their time) a second-leader is always a good choice. Ardents also pair well with fighters: you can form a self-sufficient bubble with the fighter, reducing the distractions placed on the other leader.

There's quite a lot of sophistication possible with the Ardent, and of all the classes I've played (a stupidly large number) the Ardent has been my favorite. If you specialize slightly in off-defender, you and the fighter will form a really really sticky wall, basically able to survive as long as you both stay up.

Psions have interesting interactions with fighters, functionally flinging enemies next to them for the fighter to lock down. Despite that, there's no real symbiosis beyond "don't let the enemies hit me" which is the fighter's job in any event. An Ardent allows mutual support and assistance in a way that a Psion does not.

Answer 2

I know you said you were going between psion or ardent but I figured I'd throw in the opinion of looking at another class: the warlord. Warlords are not as strong at healing but excel in buffing your allies and have a few options of letting their allies make additional strikes. Commander's Strike, an at-will, lets an ally make free basic attacks which is awesome for letting fighters get more marks off in the middle of battle. It sacrifices your own attack but hey more marks can be good in situations! I'd also think it'd work really well role playing wise since they're both martial classes and could easily have a background of working together without trouble.